1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to mediation of services. More specifically, the present invention relates to the mediation of services related to content provided by third-party service providers.
2. Background of the Related Art
Digital content encompasses a range of audio, video, video games, and software applications. Such content is typically sold or transferred via download over a communications network or on some form of digital storage media including optical discs such as a compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD). Content may also be sold or transferred via the likes of non volatile memory such as flash memory.
Digital content may be played on computing devices, media players, and/or game consoles. Because such devices may have access to a communication network such as the Internet, various services associated with the digital content may be provided via the communication network to update, upgrade, or otherwise supplement the content following the original sale or transfer of the content. Such services may include supplemental content, ancillary content, customization of content, as well as the option to upgrade certain content.
Certain content providers do not have the resources, rights, or expertise to supplement the content that they provide. Other content providers may not wish to focus their energies and resources on supplementing content following its release, but still offer the opportunity for supplementing that content. In order to enhance the enjoyment, utility, and corresponding desirability of their content—or the content of others—content providers may allow for services supplementing the content to be provided by third-party service providers.
For example, game players playing a particular game title may wish to customize the appearance of their game characters. A game developer may not wish or may not be able to provide such customization itself, but it may allow other service providing entities to offer that ability to the game players. The consuming public is also unlikely to be interested in ‘stale’ or out-of-date content. For example, a DVD stamped with a series of movie previews quickly becomes out-of-date when the previewed movies are released and subsequently end their theatrical run. Notwithstanding, the advertisement remains embedded on the disc. Various gaming systems suffer from similar drawbacks in that service information such as advertising embedded on a game disc may soon become irrelevant.
Consumer demand for timely, relevant, or otherwise pertinent services is a critical component of digital media delivery. The corresponding need of service providers for statistical information related to user activity as that activity relates to a service is a similarly critical if not complicated component related to content delivery. There is a need in the art for mediation of content-related services provided by third-party service providers.